Cool Schools: Live It, Learn It

WASHINGTON (WUSA) -- It may be called the National Gallery of Art, but for Randle Highlands Elementary School, it's as local as it gets.

Just a short bus ride from school in SE, D.C., but these 4th graders have never seen it, until now.

Even though it's their first trip they are very comfortable with the Lictentestein Exhibit.

"Roy Lichtenstein he copied off comics and commercials and he used like Benday dots and flat colors and stripes and lines to make it different so it is like Pop art," explained 4th grader Sidney Higgimbltham.

A program called "Live it, Learn it" brings Washington DC's amazing resources to life for the students. First, a team from the non-profit decends on the class for a pre-trip lesson, to learn about the artist, his work etc., then its off to the gallery.

The lesson doesn't end at the museum. The "Live it, Learn it" team goes back to the class to drive the lesson home, here.

Perhaps even more powerful than exposing the students to the great free resources D.C. has to offer, they get the teachers there too.

"That exposure is amazing, even though we're in DC a lot of these museums we've never been to, as their teacher I've never been to, so it's good for them to learn it in the classroom and they actually see it in the real world," said 4th Grade Teacher, Alicia Bruyning.

That real world experience is right in their own neighborhood! Pretty cool.